


The Princess and Her Foxes

by emyy250



Series: Talia Xanatos: The Other Timeline Oneshots, AUs, and Crossovers [6]
Category: Gargoyles (Cartoon)
Genre: ABO elements, Alternate Universe-Pets, Heat/rut, Hybrids, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Pictures
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-25
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2020-07-19 13:08:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19974577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emyy250/pseuds/emyy250
Summary: When Alex is given two Satyr, or Pet foxes, they immediately take a shine to Talia. She must step up and learn to deal with the ups and downs of having Pets. Takes place after chapter 24 of Talia Xanatos: The Other Timeline. Pets are humanoid hybrids. They typically have an animal lower half and human-esque upper half.Note: This was published on 7- 25-19 and is ongoing.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The main differences between The Life of a Pet Owner and this are that Talia has brown splotches in with the green of her eyes and she still lives with the Xanatoses because she's 17. Also, Alex is 20.

Chapter 1

Welcome Home Surprise

"The library was a good idea." Adri brought back a stack of books.

"Beanbag." I rolled over.

"Yes. These beanbags are soft." She sat.

"What's that one?" I pointed.

"It's a book about Pets." She opened it.

_**Pet Basics** _

_**By Layuh Simone** _

_Introduction and Common Misconceptions_

_Satyrs, also called Pets, are humanoid hybrids. They typically have an animal lower half and human-esque upper half. They also may have ears or horns on their heads as well. Their senses are normally twice as strong as humans. Physical strength varies between species. However, these are not the only things that distinguish Pets from common animals._

_Pets have secondary genders: Alpha, Beta, and Omega. Alphas are very territorial, especially during ruts. Ruts are when an Alpha's hormones spike and the desire to mate increases as well as their aggression. Their pheromone production also increases to attract any potential mates. They can go into rut little as_ _once every six months or every three months depending on the species. Though it may change if there are any unmated Omegas/Betas in the area._

_Heats are when Omegas are most fertile. Their hormones spike and produce more pheromones as well. Omegas will be warm to the touch, but if they become delirious or faint, then a vet should be called to monitor the Omega. They will often isolate themselves in their nests for the duration of their heat. It is important not to disturb the nest as Omegas feel most vulnerable during their heat. However, it is not uncommon for an Omega to want physical contact with their owners or other Pets. Heats can happen once every six months or every three months depending on the species._

_Betas do not go through heats or ruts. Their hormones do not change as dramatically as Alphas or Omegas, but their pheromones do increase when they are willing to mate. In wild packs, they often protect Omegas and Alphas during the heats or ruts, and thusly become_ _territorial when their pack mate(s) are going through their heats/ruts if they are not chosen._

_**Misconceptions** _

" _Alphas are dangerous. They attack for no reason."_

_Alpha Pets are no more dangerous than a large dog. They want to protect their territory and pack. However, problems arise when owners do not correct their Pets behavior. There is training and/or therapy for every_ _species of Pet. There are dozens of types of birth control: pills, implants, injections. Neutering/fixing your Pet should be a last resort. It can be a traumatic experience for Pets of any age. But most behaviors can be fixed with time and patience._

" _Omegas only attract strays."_

_As I stated in the previous paragraph, there is birth control for Pets. If it is a stray Omega, I suggest calling your local Omega shelter. Alphas will fight other Alphas and Betas for a chance to mate._

" _Betas cause mischief."_

_Betas need toys and attention from their owner. They are often neglected because they do not have a consistent reaction when they crave attention. Omegas become clingy and Alphas will become insistent in an attempt to play or cuddle. It is up to the owners to learn how their Betas response._

Titania, Grandma came to get us. "Children, your lunch is almost ready."

We followed her to the kitchen. She got a basket and we went to the courtyard. We sat on a blanket under a big tree. Grandma smiled as she passed out the sandwiches. It was sunny and warm. But it was always summer on Avalon. A breeze blew by, cooling us a bit. I saw some butterflies. I smelled the flowers from the garden.

We had some chips, berries, salad, and cupcakes after we finished the sandwiches. Grandma packed everything up and sent it away. We went back inside to get our clothes and stuff. Lord Oberon was waiting for us in the Great Hall. We said goodbye and went through the portal.

The portal that brought us home from Avalon closed. Our family was waiting for us. The elevator dinged. David frowned. Two women came out and two fox Pets followed them. They had a few bags with them.

The first woman was copper with a yellow undertone. Her black pony tail slipped over her shoulder. The freckles across her nose and upper cheeks drew attention to her light brown eyes. She had a mole near the left side of her mouth. The woman wore a light blue sweater with big buttons and gray tee shirt.

The other woman was a dark shade of brown and she had shoulder-ish length brown hair. Her eyes were brown. She wore a light blue button up.

The white furred fox was a girl. She had a short black stripe on her tail. The brown furred one was a boy. They were both, at least, as old as me. Seventeen.

"Happy birthday!" The copper skinned woman smiled.

"No, Sanuye. Not you too, Renee." Alex said.

"C'mon, Alex you gotta take them. We can't take care of them." Renee gestured.

The Pets sniffed the air and wagged their tails as they saw me. They came over and begged for pets. Adri and I petted them both as best we could. I rubbed their tummies.

The girl's upper half was cooper skinned with a yellow undertone. She had freckles across her nose like Sanuye, but medium brown eyes. She put her black hair in a ponytail too. The boy's top half was dark brown. He had hazel eyes with a mole near his left one. His medium length brown hair was cut to stop at the bottom of his neck.

They played with each other now. The girl pounced and bit his ear. The boy yelped and smacked her. She hit him back. They growled and pushed each other.

"Why don't you take them to the shelter?" He asked.

"They think we're their moms." Sanuye whispered.

"Why?" He asked.

"I think I accidentally fed Zara and then she got into the house." Sanuye frowned.

"You named her?" He asked.

"She already had one. ZARA, be nice. I saw you nip him." She scolded.

"Ragen was living in the old shed. He stole our laundry." Renee added.

"My turn for pets!" Ragen barked.

"Mine!" Zara shouted.

"Are you two gonna be good?" Renee asked sharply.

"Yes." They answered.

"They seem to like her." Sanuye looked at me.

"That's my sister, Talia. She's adopted. And the brown haired one is her girlfriend, Adri." Alex pointed.

"Hi." She waved.

"Hey." I waved too.

Ragen bumped my hand and I petted his ears. His tail wagged. Zara jumped on me. I felt something familiar coming from both of them now. I frowned a bit. Owen raised his eyebrow.

I felt around their spirits. They pulsed happily. I noticed a spark reaching out from the core. I followed it. There was a little blob of energy. It was dormant. I poured some magic into it. I shielded my eyes from the bright flash.

Zara was now a wild fox. She was a little over two feet tall. The black stripe went up her spine and she had some black spots on her face. She yipped and spun around. Zara whined and laid on her back. Adri petted her. She smelt of blackberries, pine nut, and clover.

Ragen, however, turned human. He sniffed around. Saffron, nutmeg, and honey filled the air. He looked at his legs, confused by what he saw.

"Ragen, leave it!" Renee told him. He whined, startled.

"Talia, what did you do?" David asked.

"She woke up their magic. They are Halflings." Owen hummed.

"How is that possible?" Fox asked him.

"Fox spirits like mating other foxes. Mortal or not." Puck shrugged.

I turned them back into their normal selves. Zara was still for a moment before resuming her quest for pets. Ragen shook his body and ran on all fours to his mom. She cooed and petted him until he was calm. Then he rejoined us. I let him nuzzle me.

"Ok, so Zara loves running around and digging holes. I brought her favorite toys and some treats. No, Zara, no treats yet. Here's her suppressants and vitamins. I got her combs and bathroom stuff in this one. There's her nesting stuff. Oh and she likes her nest facing east to watch the sun rise." Sanuye gave Alex her bags.

"Wait-" Alex frowned.

"Ragen doesn't like men or other Alphas so you gotta be careful when approaching him. He'll bite and stuff. Here's his toys, you'll have to get more rope toys, he wears them out. Nest junk, hygiene products. And… his suppressants." Renee gave him her bags. Then they both started leaving.

"Where are you going?!" Alex cried out.

"We'll be back at dinner time." They got in the elevator.

Alex howled in frustration. Zara and Ragen howled too. Then they went go sniff my family.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to write and upload this chapter as celebration for finishing one of my other fics.

This is the cover for The Princess and Her Foxes. Ragen and Zara have other clothes as well. I couldn't find a good indoor background.  


Anime Couple Picture Creator

Game by: Rinmaru Games

Art by: PrinceOfRedRoses

Pumpkin the fox

* * *

Chapter 2

Ragen and Zara's afternoon

Zara licked and rubbed herself on everyone's legs, trying to get close to them. Ragen was slower approaching Fox and Owen. I think Ragen reacted ok to Owen because of Puck. They petted him and his tail wagged. He did not like when David stepped near him, I think he wanted to say something to Fox, and Ragen snapped at him. He stepped back.

"Go away! My turn, mine!" He screamed.

"He didn't mean to upset you, Ragen. It's ok, you're ok." Fox rubbed his ears and face.

He cautiously padded toward David and sniffed him. David carefully petted him and he relaxed. Then he licked his arm like crazy when he got an itchy spot.

"Ok, ok, enough!" My adopted father pulled his arm back.

"Ear scratchies!" Zara head-butted Alex's leg.

Alex let her sniff him then he petted her. She flopped on her back and he rubbed her belly. Ragen wanted a turn so Alex had to pet both foxes. They jumped on him and gave him kisses. He let them for a few minutes.

"Go to Tai, she wants cuddles." They stared at him. "She smells super nice."

They ran around us in circles because they were excited for cuddles. Zara picked up Adri; Ragen picked me. We were taken to the nearest room and set on the bed. They curled around us. Then we fell asleep for awhile.

I woke up and wiggled my way free. It was hot. I realized Adri and Ragen had been cuddling me. Maybe Zara too. She was gone. I stretched and went to the bathroom. I was about to leave when Zara ran past me. She was covered in dirt. Dusty paw prints stained the carpet. Owen ran after her.

"You need a bath, Zara!" He yelled.

"No!" She barked defiantly.

She crashed into Sanuye and then toppled Renee and Alex over. They were fine, a bit dazed. Sanuye frowned as she saw Zara.

She crossed her arms. "Zara, I told you to be good."

"Am good girl!" Zara barked.

"Zara, shh." She reminded.

"I'm good girl." She insisted.

"I know, Zar-zar. But no one wants to snuggle a dirty Pet." Sanuye told her.

Zara looked at me then to her mom. "Where bath?"

"Owen will take you." Alex gestured.

Zara scent marked her mom and Renee. The she followed Owen to the heavy duty showers. I looked at Alex. He was already standing up.

"Hey, Tai. We didn't wake you, did we?" He asked.

"It got hot with all of them cuddling me at once." I said.

"Just shove Ragen to the side. He won't wake up." Renee told me.

"Tai?" Adri called.

"Mistress?!" Ragen shouted.

"I'm here." I answered.

They turned and walked, ran in Ragen's case, towards me. He marked me and nibbled my neck. He cooed. The saffron and nutmeg was sharp. I think he thought I had gotten lost. I petted him and reassured him that I was fine. He now noticed we weren't alone.

"Mama, you're back!" He yipped.

"No, Ragen, no… jumping." She was knocked down again. She sighed. "You missed me, huh?"

"My mama!" He declared. He marked her until he was happy with it. He sat, tail wagging. "When do we go home?"

"Ragen, this is your new home. You live here now." She started.

"But…" He frowned.

"The house is too small for all of us. I gotta live with Auntie for a little while longer. I didn't wanna try to squish you somewhere or give you to a bad owner. Alex will take good care of you. Ok?" She said softly.

"Mine..." He nuzzled her legs.

"You'll still be able to see me, honey. I'll come visit when I can." She rubbed his face, near his scent glands.

"Ok, Mama." He whined.

"You wanna go play in the courtyard?" Alex asked.

Ragen looked at him, tilting his head.

"You wanna go outside?" He asked again.

His tail was a blur. "Outside!"

We got his toys and a denim jacket with a hood for Ragen to wear. It was still late February. Then we went to the courtyard. Owen must have heard we were outside because he brought Zara with him. She was wearing a light purple hoodie. They took a moment to sniff each other. Then it was playtime.

Ragen and Zara bonked us with the toys when they wanted one of us to throw them. Zara liked playing fetch and brought us stuff she found. I played tug-o-war with Ragen. He was gentle when he tugged out of my hands. He was gentle with most everyone except for Alex. I think it was because they had a similar psychical build.

After they finished playing, it was dinner. We were served mushroom soup. The main course was honey glazed pork chops. Ragen and Zara chewed the bones. Dessert was fudge brownies and ice cream. Owen cut the Pets' brownies up and gave us a quarter. Fudge brownies was too much chocolate/dairy for them.

Renee and Sanuye went to go sleep for the night. They were tired. Puck took Alex to have his magic lesson. Adri and I went to see the gargoyles. Ragen and Zara followed. We found Hudson first. Bronx got up.

"Good evening, lassie. I see you brought Adri with ya." He smiled.

"Yeah, we just got back-" A loud growl interrupted me.

Bronx and Ragen were growling at each other. Zara was guarding me. Bronx must have surprised Ragen. Hudson stepped forward and Ragen let out more aggressive scent, barking. The honey was almost gone and saffron was overwhelming.

"Don't you be challenging me, fox." Hudson warned.

"HEY, behave both of you!" I scolded.

They whimpered. Bronx let him sniff first then they made up. Zara left my side, sniffing Bronx. He licked her cheek. Zara nibbled his ear. He told her off when he had enough of her antics. Bronx padded off to lay next to the recliner.

"We got back from Avalon. Alex's girlfriends brought him some Pets. This is Ragen and Zara. Let Ragen come to you. He doesn't like men." I gestured.

"What are you?" Zara asked.

"'m a gargoyle. My name's Hudson." He answered.

She contemplated this for a moment. "Pet me!"

"Alright, Zara." He petted her head.

Ragen watched him carefully. He looked at me. I nodded. He slowly approached them and got ear scratches in return.

I introduced everyone to Ragen and Zara. It was a slow process since most of the clan was male. Ragen was ok with Angela, Elisa, Katana, and her and Brooklyn's children Nashville, Nash for short, and daughter, Tachi. They got along with Fu-Dog too. I praised them for being good. I was covered in kisses and licks. Zara decided to mark the room. Ragen soon joined her.

"Tai, it's your turn." Puck came to get me.

"Ok." I turned to face him.

"Who's gonna watch them?" Adri asked.

"We will watch them." Goliath told her.

Puck took us to the classroom. I had to shoot targets without hitting Adri or Puck. It was really hard since they zoomed around. He made them pretty small too. Adri was proud of me anyway.

"Hey, Dad?" I asked.

"Yeah, Sweetheart?" He hummed.

"You said Ragen and Zara had magic." I reminded him.

"I'm letting them adjust to the castle before I teach them anything. If something happens, I'll bump it. But just to be safe..." He snapped and they appeared.

"Hi, Mistress." Zara smiled.

"Give Talia your collars." Puck said.

They took them off. Ragen's was black and Zara's was light purple. Dad taught me how enchant their collars so their magic wouldn't flare up on accident. But it had a limit of what it could handle. I put them back on each Pet. They wanted to mark us afterward.

"Omega smells nice, like lilacs, apple spice, and fresh earth." Ragen licked my upper neck.

"Yeah, 'mega, Mistress smells good." Zara agreed.

"Huh?" I frowned.

"They must have adjusted to their new senses. It's your magic they smell. Your pheromones carry some of it. On their own, they don't have an interpretable scent." Owen told me.

"My what?" I asked.

"You have pheromones, it's a byproduct of your magic. I will teach about them later." He soothed.

We brushed our teeth and were tucked into bed. Alex came in and kissed me and Adri good night. He said Ragen and Zara were with their moms. But they scented a blanket for me to have. Puck put it on top of us. I yawned and cuddled Adri and my toy fox, Pumpkin.

"Good night, little trickster." Owen brushed my hair aside to kiss my forehead.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the hiatus. I wrote a few holiday fics and they took longer than I thought. Suggestions on what you want to see happen in this fic would be nice.

Zara's bone

Ragen's rope toy

Chapter 3

The first full day

I woke up and realized I wasn't in my room. I was in a nest. A big, giant nest. Renee and Sanuye were in it too. Ragen and Zara were sleeping next to their moms. Adri was here too. I went to the bathroom and then back to the nest. I laid down next to Adri. She woke up and looked around, confused.

"What happened?" She yawned.

"I dunno." I said. "Let's go night night."

"Tai." She frowned.

"Shh." I shushed her.

I slept a bit more before Owen came in. He woke us all up. Zara whined and tried to hide. Ragen barked grumpily.

"What happened?" Renee asked.

"I missed you." Ragen laid on her lap.

"I should have known." She petted his tummy.

"It morning!" Zara rubbed her face on Sanuye.

"It's too early." Sanuye mumbled, petting her.

"I luv you." Zara told her.

Adri and I petted the foxes. They gave us kisses. We went back to our room to change. After we changed, Owen took us to the dining room. We sat down for breakfast. It was waffles today. I filled my plate. Ragen and Zara ran over to their spots and started eating. Their moms sat next to Alex. They talked about stuff. I caught up with Adri. Her older brother, Eddy, got a new job. He was an accountant. He was several years older than us. Her mom and dad were fine.

After breakfast, Renee and Sanuye got ready to leave and packed their bags. Adri had to go home too. Owen helped gather their stuff. Ragen was trying to take the bags back to their room. Zara flopped in front of them, trying to get them to pet her belly.

"Give me the bag, Ragen." Owen scolded.

"Dis Mama bag!" He barked.

An aura of magic started to show around his eyes. Zara's scent also had a magic tinge to it. I wanted to cuddle them. Cuddle them so much. Owen's eyes narrowed. The magic died out as Sanuye spoke.

"We told you last night we have to go home." Sanuye told them.

"Nooo, Mommy stay!" Zara protested.

"Mama stay!" Ragen agreed.

"We'll still be able to call and talk, honey. We'll come back." Renee soothed. She had said something similar yesterday.

Ragen whined as Renee petted him. He nuzzled her neck and marked her. Sanuye hugged Zara. She marked her mom vigorously. It was bit before they stopped. Alex and Owen helped carry their bags to the elevator.

"Bye bye, baby. I'll call later." Sanuye waved.

"Bye bye." Zara waved.

"I love you, Ragen." Renee told him.

"I love you, Mama." He called.

The door closed and the Pets left. I went to the game room and played a few video games. They were Alex's. I accidentally chose a dating sim, in my defense it said it was a puzzle game. I found a Zelda game next and played that for bit. Then I got stuck on the boss. I was deciding what to do next when Ragen opened to the door. He shouted and Zara ran in. She snuggled up to me.

"Mistress, we want to play." Zara told me.

"Ok, get your toys." I said.

"Yay!" She leapt off the couch.

We followed them to the Great Hall. It was too cold to go outside. They gathered their toys into piles and sat near them. I picked up a purple bone from Zara's pile. Her ears perked up. I tossed it. She ran after it. I dangled a rope for Ragen. He growled a bit when I tried to take it back, but he let me. Zara brought her bone back. I petted her ears. She whined happily as I rubbed her sides. Her tail was a blur. I threw the bone a bit more before she got bored of it. She looked through the pile. Ragen then decided he wanted attention and sat in front of me. Zara noticed and ran over.

"It my turn with Mistress!" Zara complained.

"I want Mistress pets." Ragen told her.

"Mistress is playing with me." Zara pointed.

"Want Mistress." He rubbed his scent gland on my legs.

"No, my turn!" She got closer.

"Tummy rub!" He argued.

Zara pushed him. He jumped on her. She scratched his cheek. He barked sharply and bared his teeth. I pulled Zara off of him before they could hurt each other. They growled at each other.

"Enough!" I glared at them.

They whined and rolled onto their backs, showing me their tummies. "Mistress…"

"You have to share me. I'll try to make time for you both, but sometimes you have to share. Even during cuddle time." I told them.

"Ok, Mistress." Zara said.

"Sorry, Mistress." Ragen's ears folded back.

"One of the maids said the Pets were fighting." Fox walked up to us.

"It's ok now. We came to an understanding." I looked at them.

Ragen bonked his head in my hand. Zara wiggled closer to me. They still wanted pets. I petted them both as best I could. Then they saw Fox and went to her. Ragen was on her left and Zara on her right. They marked her.

"No, off! It's ok, you're good Pets." She petted their hair. Ragen whined and licked her hand. She sighed.

"You wanna play more?" I asked.

"Throw ball!" Ragen barked.

"Ball!" Zara yelled.

I picked up a tennis ball. They watched me. "Remember, play nice."

"Yes, Mistress. Play nice." They nodded.

"Go get it!" I tossed the ball.

We played fetch and a few other games. Zara brought us one of her squeak toys and we would try to grab it, but she would just squeak it and shake her head. Sometimes we'd get a hold of it and Zara would tug it away. Then she'd come back to us and drop it at our feet. Ragen chased one of the balls that rolled away. Then Fox wiggled a toy and he pounced on it. He liked to chew on the rope toys.

The elevator dinged and Alex and Owen walked out. Zara and Ragen rushed to them. Alex braced himself as they surrounded him.

"Mama? Where Mama?" Ragen asked.

"Mommy!" Zara barked.

"Lay down!" Alex commanded.

They laid down, tails swishing hopefully.

"Renee and Sanuye went home. They have to go to school. BUT they left you some clothes for your nest. They'll send more later." Alex pulled out two bags.

They snatched the bags and ran to their nests. One of their teeth must have pierced the bag because they swapped bags. Then they continued running.

"They'll be busy for awhile. What's for lunch?" Alex asked.

"I want tacos." I said.

We went to the dining room and food was brought out. There were tacos, burritos, chicken enchiladas, quesadillas, and rice with guacamole and salsa for the chips. Owen stuck with the tacos and quesadillas. I ate a little of everything. I kinda wanted tamales, but that didn't seem likely. Ragen and Zara came in during the middle of lunch. They must have found a place to put all of the clothes. Owen told them too much salsa would upset their tummies. Ragen liked the burritos and enchiladas. Zara happily munched on everything she got.

After lunch, I had to go do my English with Owen. It was just a reading assignment. Alex went to go hang out in his room. I thought the Pets had gone with him, but they must have followed me instead. They opened the classroom door and bounded in.

"No, out!" Owen told them.

"Mistress cuddle!" Zara rubbed her face on me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Mistress need scent." Ragen explained.

"What's that?" Zara dragged the copy of Beowulf off the table. She darted away when it fell. She sniffed it curiously.

"That's a book, Zara." Owen picked it up. "Now, go play somewhere else. We are busy."

"Why can't Mistress cuddle?" Ragen frowned.

"Mistress has school." Owen said.

"No." She shook her head.

"Zara, she will be done before dinner time." He said.

"Mistress cuddle now!" Ragen demanded.

"… You may _mark_ her and then you will go do something else until her lesson is over." Owen said resignedly.

We went to the lounge room. I sat on the couch. They jumped on it and settled next to me. Zara's tail wagged as she marked. Ragen nibbled my neck a bit. I petted Zara's cheek. She whined happily and gave me kisses. Then she farted. It was stinky.

"Zara." I frowned.

"Ragen did it." She said.

"Nu huh." Ragen said as he tooted.

"Ragen farted!" She pointed.

I remembered we had Mexican food for lunch and the burritos had beans. They both were farting now. They couldn't help it. If humans got gassy after a burrito, so would a Pet.

"Hey, hey, how many burritos did you eat?" I asked before their bickering got out of hand.

"Three!" Ragen said. She nodded.

"I'm out." I crawled over the couch.

"Mistress!" Zara cried, looking over the back of the couch. I walked over to my father.

"I'll cuddle you again when you get all of your toots out." I told them.

"Ok, Mistress." Their ears fell as Owen and I went to the door.

"I love you." I said.

Their tails wagged.

"I love you, Mistress." Zara smiled.

"Luv you!" Ragen barked.

Owen took me back to the classroom and I finished the reading assignment. We went to the music room. I practiced piano for a bit. Alex came in to get us, but he ended up listening to me play. I played Chopin's "Tristesse", Owen was teaching me the full piece. Then I switched to Michael Nyman's"The Heart Asks Pleasure First" to liven things up again.

"Mom says it's dinner time." Alex ruffled my hair.

"Ok, did you smell Ragen or Zara? They ate too many burritos." I told him.

"Dad got them some medicine." He said. "And don't tease them."

"I'm not teasing them. They were marking me when the fart storm started." I explained.

"Ah, that reminds me the lounge room needs to aired out." Owen thought, getting his phone from his pocket.

"Let's go eat." Alex smiled.

We had a turkey from the freezer, stuffing, and mashed potatoes and gravy. There was also salad. Zara ate a little slower, waiting to see if it made her gassy. It didn't so she dug into her next turkey slice. Ragen didn't like the salad dressing; Alex got him a new bowl. He ate it plain. For dessert, we had lemon and chocolate chip muffins. Ragen made them. They were good.

After dinner, I took the Pets to see the gargoyles. Zara played with Bronx. She'd playfully bow at him and then jumped up. Bronx chased her and they ran around the room. Zara caught him, he flopped over, and she licked his face. Ragen was getting belly rubs from Nashville and Tachi. His tail wagged happily. I hung out with Goliath in the library. He read a chapter of Robin Hood to me.

"There you are, Sweetheart. It's lesson time." Puck popped in.

"Ok. See you later." I got up.

We went back to the lounge room. It was still stinky. I wrinkled my nose.

"I thought you were going to get the room cleaned." I complained.

"I started to, but then I decided why not teach you how to do it?" He smiled.

"I want a different father." I looked into his eyes.

"No, you don't. Anyway, you wanna identify all the stinky odors you want to get rid of so you don't accidentally suck out all the air in the room. Once you do that, then you can do the spell." Puck told me.

"I wanna get rid of the fart smell." I said.

"That's too vague. Actually look." He tsked.

I looked harder and saw the odor's makeup. It was more complex than the air. I showed Puck what I wanted to get rid of. He nodded. I thought the wording of the spell.

" _P_ _urify and dispel, begone_ _foul smell._ " I chanted.

The smell disappeared.

"Not bad, gets the job done. I'll teach you a more long term one later." Puck breathed in.

"Hey, Dad?" I asked.

"Yes?" He looked at me.

"This morning when Sanuye and Renee left, Ragen and Zara were going to use their magic. Ragen's was in his eyes and Zara's was in her scent. How come they reacted differently?" I paused.

"Ragen was upset because Owen was trying to take his mama's bags. Zara was just trying to persuade them to stay. Your reaction to it was a little odd. I think you're susceptible to their scents. Any other questions?" Puck asked.

"Um... Oh, you said _I_ had pheromones, what's that about?" I furrowed my brow.

"Ah, yes, it's a byproduct of your magic. I saved your life when you were a baby. It was keeping you alive. Your magic made the pheromones to let me know where you were and to get me to bond with you. But that didn't happen so they ended up being slightly more special then normal." He explained.

"Special?" I repeated.

"Aside from marking your territory so to speak, it also broadcasts your mood and lets know if you are sick or not." Owen explained.

"So, like a Pet's pheromones?" I grimaced.

"Basically. Go get some sleep, Sweetie. I'll be there soon." Puck kissed my forehead.

I brushed my teeth and went to my room. I laid on my bed, snuggling Pumpkin. Puck came in and tucked me in. He stroked my hair. It was nice. The door opened in the middle of his lullaby. It was Ragen and Zara.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"I miss Mommy." Zara whined.

"My room is empty without Mama." Ragen added.

"What do you think, Tai?" Puck looked at me.

"Only for tonight." I yawned.

They laid next me. They marked me until I smelled like them. Their scents mixed. Zara's blackberry and clover was a pleasant scent. The pine nut added to it. Ragen's saffron and nutmeg were mild and the honey added a nice coziness. Puck and I petted them until they got sleepy. He decided to sing a few more songs before kissing us good night.


End file.
